Three generations of women violinists at Dover Lane conference

KOLKATA, Jan 2: In a unique musical extravaganza spanning three generations, violinist N. Rajam, her daughter and granddaughters will come together for a special rendition at the 64th annual Dover Lane music conference beginning on January 22.

Rajam’s daughter Sangeeta Shankar, granddaughters Ragini and ndini Shankar will perform as a violin quartet at the four-day music conference at zrul Mancha in south Kolkata. The veteran violinist will be honoured with the ‘Sangeet Samman Award 2016’.

“When you listen to one such concert, it will look as if the raga is being expanded by one artist, although four artists are playing. It will not be noise. It will be as if one artist is elaborating the raga,” Rajam, whose family has a music legacy of seven generations, told the media here on Saturday.

Rajam is an exponent of Hindustani Classical music. With 12 violinists in the family, including her brother Padma Bhushan T. N. Krishn (of Cartic style), the tradition is to hand over the musical instrument to the next generation at the age of three.

The conference also features Pandit Shivkumar Sharma on the santoor, Amjad Ali Khan and Amaan Ali Khan on the sarod, among other heavyweights in night-long concerts.

In a mix and match of veterans and next generation artists, the line-up includes Shoukat Hussain Khan (vocals), Anupama Bhagwat (sitar) and Mukul Shivputra (son of eminent vocalist Kumar Gandharva). (ians)